Everything We Know About Stranger Things Season 5: Maya Hawke Teases Long Episodes, Calling Them 'Eight Movies'
After seven years, Netflix's Stranger Things is getting ready to say goodbye. When creators Matt and Ross Duffer announced that the fifth season would be the last, fans were sad but understanding, considering how much the young actors have grown.
“Seven years ago, we planned out the complete story arc for Stranger Things,” they shared in a message to fans in February 2022, acknowledging the series' conclusion. “At the time, we predicted the story would last four to five seasons. It proved too large to tell in four but — as you’ll see for yourselves — we are now hurtling toward our finale.” While we wait for the season finale to premiere, here’s what we know so far about Stranger Things’ fifth and final season, including who's returning and who's new to Hawkins.
When is the release date for Stranger Things Season 5?
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Last summer, filming for season five was set to begin, but a writers' strike in May delayed plans. The Duffer brothers announced on social media that while they had finished the initial scripts, filming couldn't start without a resolution. They hoped for a quick agreement to get everyone back to work.
Following the writers' strike, an actors' strike led by SAG-AFTRA further postponed production. After the actors' strike ended (with the WGA also settling), scheduling challenges and extensive visual effects editing likely pushed filming to late 2025 or early 2026.
On 8 January 2024, Netflix officially announced the start of production for season five, sharing a photo of the returning cast alongside Ross and Matt Duffer. Check out the behind-the-scenes filming of Season 5 here!
Which Cast Members Are Returning for the New Season?
Photo from Netflix
Most of the main cast from Stranger Things made it through season four, so fans can expect Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), Finn Wolfhard (Mike), Noah Schnapp (Will), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas), Priah Ferguson (Erica), Natalia Dyer (Nancy), Charlie Heaton (Jonathan), Joe Keery (Steve), Maya Hawke (Robin), David Harbour (Hopper), Winona Ryder (Joyce), Brett Gelman (Murray), and Jamie Campbell Bower (Vecna) to return for the final season.
Sadie Sink's character Max ended season four in a coma due to Vecna's curse, with her heart briefly stopping. While Max remains alive with a pulse, her future remains uncertain. However, Netflix's photo confirmed Sadie Sink's involvement in season 5.
Joseph Quinn's character Eddie Munson won't be coming back after his demise in the season four finale, where he helped defeat Vecna. During the premiere of A Quiet Place: Day One, when asked about returning for Stranger Things season 5, he responded, “I guess anything’s possible. I don’t know.”
"I guess nothing’s impossible. I don’t know," #AQuietPlace: Day One's Joseph Quinn says about the return of his character 'Eddie' for the final season of #StrangerThings pic.twitter.com/l30JTQqUrI
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) June 27, 2024
Are There Fresh Faces Joining Stranger Things Season 5?
Linda Hamilton, known for her roles in The Terminator and Children of the Corn, surprised fans at the 2023 Tudum: A Global Fan Event by revealing her part in the series. Although her character details are still a mystery, one thing is clear—she's a big fan of the show. In her announcement video at Tudum, she admitted, “I don’t know how to be a fangirl and an actress at the same time, I’m gonna work on that.”
What will happen in season 5?
Photo from Netflix
The fight between the Upside Down and Hawkins is in full swing. From where we were left off, the last scene shows dark, fiery clouds over the town and flowers dying in a field. With the gate between the two worlds now open, Vecna's curse worked, turning into the scary place the kids have been trying to stop.
“We do have an outline for season 5 and we pitched it to Netflix and they really responded well to it,” Ross Duffer shared with The Wrap in May 2022. “I mean, it was hard. It’s the end of the story. I saw executives crying who I’ve never seen cry before and it was wild.”
David Harbour, who plays Hopper, had also mentioned to Variety that he knows how season 5 ends and finds it "very moving and beautiful."
On 7 March, Millie Bobby Brown, the actress who plays Eleven, spoke to Capital FM about the finale. “I haven’t read the end, I know what happens to my character because I kind of forced myself into the writers room.”
“Basically, I messaged the directors, ‘Can I come over and have a meeting with you?’ And then I came over, and there was a whiteboard,” she said. “I just saw my ending and thought, ‘Oooooh,’ and then I walked away very slowly.”
Another star of the tv series, Maya Hawke, who joined the cast as Robin Buckley in season 3, recently talked about the fifth and final season of Stranger Things on Penn Badgley's Podcrushed podcast.
"We're making, basically, eight movies," she told the Gossip Girl and You actor. “The episodes are very long.”
While we wait for more updates from Netflix, you can rewatch Stranger Things season 1-4 on Netflix!
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